Atlanta Daily World

Ethiopia And China

By WILLIAM PICKENS

The brazen hypocrisy of western civilization is well illustrated by the different reactions of the American government to Italy's attack on Ethiopia and Japan's attack on Manchuria. When Japan moved into north China. our state department did its best to rally the great white nations against this yellow menace to white supremacy, and only failed because England and France did not see what they had to gain by helping America to war on Japan But when Ethiopia appeals to our government to apply the rights under the Briand Kellogg pact and check Italy's far less justifiable attack on Abyssinia. the only reply from our high and mighty nation is to tell the hundred or so Americans in Ethiopia to hurry and get out of the way for Italian guns and gunfire. We are not trying to rally anybody against Italy. We are allowing the action of Italy.

Also it Is continually reported that white nations have been holding up arms and munitions shipments to the Ethiopians. for fear of incurring the animosity of the new Caesar of Rome. Nobody held up shipments to China of arms to be used against Japan. In fact. we Americans lent money to Chinese to finance their war on Japan. and insisted on our rights to do. Americans were abetted and encouraged to go to China and join the air forces and help to train and direct the Chinese military

And yet there were far more reasons for Japan's going Into Manchuria than even Mussolini claims for Italy's going into east Africa: many of the natives of north China wanted the Japanese and invited and aided the invaders and set up under Japanese protection a new state. Nobody wants Italians in Abyssinia. The chief reason Mussolini has for his invasion of Ethiopia is that he has the power. as he thinks: and expects to be able to get away with it,-- like any gangster with a gun

There is and always has been far more organized military power in China than in Ethiopia, and Japan had far more provocations of Chinese hostility than any nation has ever had against Ethiopia. and yet the white nations, especially the United States, were hot to "protect" China against the encroachment of a colored power.

The only hope for aid to Ethiopia is that England must see clearly enough that it will not be well for the happiness of the British Empire to have Italy dominating all Ethiopia. The French who are very much like all other selfish nations, have little to lose in east Africa: north Africa would be their fighting ground. They can easily feed Ethiopia to the Beast in order to Keep Rome in line against Hitler.

Some accident may throw all of their calculations out of gear. and one or these accidents may be a stiffer resistance and a more effective defense on the part of the tribes of Ethiopia than Italy. has calculated on. Even English and Frenchmen would be glad if Ethiopia should successfully defend itself. but none of them see any gain in helping the blacks,-except perhaps the British.--and less directly the Germans.-Meanwhile, here are black people about-to be forced to choose death to slavery at the hands of a big "christian" who pretends to be about to "break up slavery"